Wire material plating equipment

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for plating a wire material is provided in which a range of the plated layer where the temperature is high and flowability is large, thus, easily generating thickness deviation, and a range of the plated layer where the temperature is low and the flowability is small, thus generating thickness deviation only with difficulty are allowed to cool in an appropriate manner, respectively, whereby a plated wire material whose thickness deviation is not more than 2.0 can be produced with high productivity in a stable manner. 
     In an apparatus for plating a wire material having an air cooling device provided on an upper portion of a plate-squeezing portion on a plating bath surface so that the wire material is standing up from the plating bath via the plate-squeezing portion, the air cooling device comprising an air compressor portion, a lower cooling portion below the air compressor portion, and an upper cooling portion above the air compressor potion; the wire material passing through the air cooling device is air-cooled in two stages by a main cooling air flowing from an air injection hole of the air compressor portion into the upper cooling portion then flowing out from the upper cooling portion from an exit at an upper end and by a secondary cooling air, being sucked into the main cooling air, flowing from an inlet of the lower cooling portion at the lower end thereof into the lower cooling portion and then being jointed to the main cooling air.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an apparatus for plating a wirematerial in a manner that plating-squeezing is performed by anon-oxidized gas or a charcoal squeezing.

BACKGROUND ARTS

In the case where thick-plating is applied on a wire material in anapplied amount of not less than 400 g/m² through molten zinc plating ormolten zinc-aluminum alloy plating, it is difficult to obtain a platedwire material with good outward appearance having a uniform thick platedlayer, due to the movement of the applied plated layer through thevibration generated during the course of transferring the wire materialitself before coagulation. This leads to a thickness deviation ratio,which is a value obtained by dividing the maximum thickness of theplated layer by the minimum thick layer) arriving at from 3 to 5,causing a problem in terms of insufficient linear/diameter tolerance,deterioration of anti-corrosion properties and the like.

We have developed apparatuses for plating a wire material disclosed inJapanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-60615 and No. 11-323524, and haveconducted improvements where adhered molten plated layer is allowed tocool down by a forcibly cooling device in the same apparatus to decreasethe flowability, whereby a plated wire having a uniform thick platedlayer and good outward appearance can be obtained.

As a result, the use of such apparatuses makes it possible to improve athickness deviation ratio of 2.0 or less. However, it has been difficultto produce a plated wire having a thickness deviation ratio of 2.0 orless in a stable manner.

In addition, the forcibly cooling device described above can only passone wire, resulting in poor productivity. Further, at the time of thebreakage, a lot of loss is caused during the course of again passing thewire, and at the time of detaching the cooling device, there is aproblem in terms of workability such as cutting off the plated wire.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus forplating a wire material in which a range of the plated layer where thetemperature is high and flowability is large, thus, easily generatingthickness deviation, and a range of the plated layer where thetemperature is low and the flowability is small, thus generatingthickness deviation only with difficulty are allowed to cool in anappropriate manner, respectively, whereby a plated wire material whosethickness deviation is not more than 2.0 can be produced with highproductivity in a stable manner; a second object of the presentinvention is to provide an apparatus for plating a wire material, whichcan further produce a wire material whose outward appearance of thesurface of the plated layer is good on a large scale; a third object ofthe present invention is to provide an apparatus for plating a wirematerial, which can simultaneously produce a plurality of wire materialswhose outward appearance of the surface of the plated layer is good; anda forth object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus forplating a wire material, which can simultaneously produce a plurality ofwire materials whose outward appearance of the surface of the platedlayer is good, and which is of good workability at the time of breakageand easily carrying out maintenance of the apparatus.

1. The present invention is an apparatus for plating a wire materialhaving an air cooling device provided on an upper portion of aplate-squeezing portion on a plating bath surface so that the wirematerial is standing up from the plating bath via the plate-squeezingportion,

said air cooling device comprising an air compressor portion, a lowercooling portion below the air compressor portion, and an upper coolingportion above the air compressor potion;

wherein the wire material passing through the air cooling device isair-cooled in two stages by a main cooling air flowing from an airinjection hole of said air compressor portion into the upper coolingportion then flowing out from the upper cooling portion from an exit atan upper end and by a secondary cooling air, being sucked into said maincooling air, flowing from an inlet of he lower cooling portion at thelower end thereof into the lower cooling portion and then being jointedto the main cooling air.

2. The present invention also concerns the apparatus for plating a wirematerial as set forth in Item 1, which further comprises a plate forpreventing turbulence flow, which suppresses the turbulence of thecooling air provided within the upper cooling portion and/or the lowercooling portion so as to form a laminar air flow space of the coolingair through the plate for preventing turbulence.

3. The present invention is also directed to the apparatus for plating awire material as set forth in Item 1, which comprises a plurality ofplates for preventing turbulence flow, which suppress the turbulence ofthe cooling air provided on opposite portions in the cross-machinedirection each beside a portion along a passing orbit direction of eachwire material arranged in one column in the machine direction to form aplurality of laminar air flow spaces of the cooling air separated byneighboring plates for preventing turbulence flow in the machinedirection and cross-machine direction, and wherein the air injectionportion of the air compressor portion is communicated with each laminarair flow space, whereby the wire materials can be simultaneously allowedto cool within the laminar air flow spaces.

4. The present invention is also directed to the apparatus for plating awire material as set forth in Item 1, wherein the wire materialsarranged on one column between forked cross-machine edge portions ofsaid air compressor portion simultaneously form depth-needling shapedwire-passing portions, which are simultaneously detachable,

which comprises a plurality of plates for preventing turbulence flow,which suppresses the turbulence of the cooling air provided on oppositeportions in the cross-machine direction each beside a portion along apassing orbit direction of each wire material arranged in one column inthe machine direction to form a plurality of laminar air flow spaces ofthe cooling air separated by neighboring plates for preventingturbulence flow in the machine direction and cross-machine direction,and

a wire material inserting portion having a width wider than the diameterof the wire material provided between the plates for preventingturbulence flow placed in the opposite cross-machine direction and onfront wall portions of the upper and the lower cooling portion invertically accorded with the wire material inserting portion, and a pairof the air injection holes on both edges of said forked portions of saidair compressor portion are with each laminar air flow space, whereby thewire materials can be simultaneously allowed to cool within the laminarair flow spaces.

According to the present invention, in Item 1 described above, a platedlayer where the temperature is high and flowability is large, thus,easily generating thickness deviation in the wire material immediatelyafter being passed through the plate-squeezing portion is allowed tocool by the secondary cooling air in the laminar air flow state at a lowspeed, and the plated layer where the temperature is low and theflowability, thus generating thickness deviation only with difficulty,immediately after the cooling by the secondary cooling air is allowed tocool by the main cooling air by a main cooling air in the laminar airflow state at a high speed, whereby effective cooling with suppressingthe thickness deviation can be performed, and uniformly thick-platedwires having a small thickness deviation equal to or smaller than thatof the conventional product and having good outward appearance can beproduced on a large scale in a stable manner.

In Item 2, since the cooling air is further regulated to be in thelaminar air flow state by the plate for preventing turbulence, moltenthick-plated wires can be produced in much more stable manner, whichhave a small thickness deviation equal to or smaller than that of theconventional product, and possess good outward appearance.

In Item 3, in comparison with the conventional cooling device, whichonly can pass one wire, a plurality of wire materials can besimultaneously plated in a stable manner on a large scale, the platedwires of which have a small thickness deviation equal to or smaller thanthat of the conventional product, and possess good outward appearance.

In Item 4, in comparison with the conventional cooling device, whichonly can pass one wire, a plurality of wire materials can besimultaneously plated in a stable manner on a large scale, the platedwires of which have a small thickness deviation equal to or smaller thanthat of the conventional product, and possess good outward appearance.Furthermore, this makes it easy to perform the treatment at breakage andthe detach and attach the air cooling device itself and thus, theapparatus for plating a wire material excels in productivity andworkability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the apparatus for plating a wirematerial according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plane view of the air cooling device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 taken along line (3)—(3);

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 taken along line (4)—(4);

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 taken along line (5)—(5) ;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 taken along line (6)—(6);

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the apparatus for plating a wirematerial according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged plane view of the air cooling device of FIG. 7,

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 8 taken along line (9)—(9);

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 8 taken along line (10)—(10);

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 8 taken along line (11)—(11);

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 8 taken along line (12)—(12);

FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing the apparatus for plating a wirematerial according to still another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged plane view of the air cooling device of FIG. 13,

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 14 taken along line (15)—(15);

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 14 taken along line (16)—(16);

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing the air cooling device in theapparatus for plating a wire material according to still anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the air coolingdevice in the apparatus for plating a wire material according to stillanother embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 19 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the air coolingdevice in the apparatus for plating a wire material according to stillanother embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described.

FIG. 1 to 6 exemplify one embodiment of the apparatus for plating a wirematerial. The apparatus 1 for plating a wire material has aconfiguration that an air cooling device 4 is provided on an upperportion of a plate-squeezing portion 3 of a plate bath surface 2 a of aplating tank 2, and a water cooling apparatus 8 is provided on an upperportion of the air cooling device 4, so that a plurality of wirematerials L are passed via sinker rolls from the plate bath surface 2 ato the plate-squeezing portion 3 covered with a non-oxidativeatmosphere, at which the wires are simultaneously standing up, eachplated layer L1 is allowed to cool down during the course of passingthough the air cooling device 4 and the water cooling device 8, afterwhich the air-cooled and water-cooled wire materials are wound on a drum(not shown) simultaneously via top rolls 10. The water cooling device 8may not be used as occasion demands.

The air cooling device 4 comprises an air compressor portion 5, a lowercooling portion 6 below the air compressor portion 5, and an uppercooling portion 7 above the air compressor portion 5, so that aplurality of wire materials L are air-cooled in two stages by a maincooling air flowing from an air injection hole 5 a of the air compressorportion 5 into the upper cooling portion 7 then flowing out from theupper cooling portion 7 from an exit 7 a at an upper end and by asecondary cooling air, being sucked into the main cooling air, flowingfrom an inlet 6 a of the lower cooling portion 6 at the lower endthereof into the lower cooling portion and then being jointed to themain cooling air.

The air compressor portion 5 forms a depth-needling shaped wire-passingportion 5 c between a forked cross-lengthwise edge portions 5 b, fromwhich a plurality of wire materials L arranged on one column in themachine direction are simultaneously detachable in a horizontaldirection, and forms a pair of air injection holes in the cross-machinedirection on an upper surface of the edge portions 5 a in thecross-machine direction in a manner so as to be communicated with eachof laminar air flow space portions 7, whereby a main cooling air a canbe injected from each of the air injection holes 5 a into the laminarair flow space portions 7 b at an air-flowing speed of from 20 to 50m/s.

The lower cooling portion 6 has a plurality of plates 6 b for preventingturbulence flow, which suppress the turbulence of the cooling airprovided on opposite portions in the cross-machine direction each besidea portion along a passing orbit direction of each wire material Lprovided within a body having a substantially rectangular shape in thecross direction of the lower cooling portion 6. Also, the lower coolingportion 6 also forms a plurality of laminar air flow spaces 6 c of thecooling air separated by neighboring plates 6 b for preventingturbulence flow in the machine direction and cross-machine direction, sothat a secondary cooling air b at an air-flowing speed of from 5 to 15m/s, being sucked into the main cooling air flowing within the upper aircooling portion flows from an inlet 6 a into the laminar air flow spaces6 c, and allows the plated layers L1 of the plurality of the wirematerial L immediately after passing through the plate-squeezing portion3 to cool in a state where turbulence of the secondary cooling air issuppressed to be adjusted into a laminar air flow state. A wire materialinserting portion 6 e having a width wider than the diameter of the wirematerial L is continuously formed between the plates 6 b for preventingturbulence flow placed in the opposite cross-machine direction and onfront wall portions 6 d of the lower cooling portion 6 in verticallyaccorded with the wire material inserting portion 5 c, so that aplurality of the wire material L can be detached or attachedsimultaneously in the horizontal direction from the wire materialinserting portion 6 e.

The upper cooling portion 7 has a plurality of plates 7 b for preventingturbulence flow, which suppresses the turbulence of the cooling airprovided on opposite portions in the cross-machine direction each besidea portion along a passing orbit direction of each wire material Lprovided within a body having a substantially rectangular shape in thecross direction of the upper cooling portion 7. Also, the upper coolingportion 7 also forms a plurality of laminar air flow spaces 7 c of thecooling air separated by neighboring plates 7 b for preventingturbulence flow in the machine direction and cross-machine direction, sothat the main cooling air a injected from the air injection hole 5 aflows in the plates 7 b for preventing turbulence, and allows the platedlayers L1 of the plurality of the wire material L immediately afterbeing cooled by the secondary cooling air b to cool in a state whereturbulence of the main cooling air is suppressed to be adjusted into alaminar air flow state. A wire material inserting portion 7 e having awidth wider than the diameter of the wire material L is continuouslyformed between the plates 7 b for preventing turbulence flow placed inthe opposite cross-machine direction and on front wall portions 7 d ofthe upper cooling portion 7 in vertically accorded with the wirematerial inserting portion 5 c, so that a plurality of the wire materialL can be detached or attached simultaneously in the horizontal directionfrom the wire material inserting portion 7 e.

The air compressor portion 5, the lower cooling portion 6, and the uppercooling portion 7 are mutually formed in a manner that they can beseparated and be unified. The air compressor portion 5 is mounted andfixed on an upper surface an upper mounting portion 6 f of the lowercooling portion 6. The position of mounting the air compressor portion 5is aligned by an upper guide 6 g of the mounting portion 6 f. By beingaligned by a guide 5 s, the upper cooling portion 7 is mounted on anupper surface of the air compressor potion 5 so as to detach the partsfrom each other at the time of maintenance of the air cooling device 4,at the time of the breakage of the wire materials L or such, dealingwith such situation quickly.

By such a configuration, two laminar air flows each having differentspeeds, i.e., a high speed and a low speed, specifically, the maincooling air a and the secondary cooling air b are generated in one aircooling device 4, whereby the high temperature plated layer, easilygenerating thickness deviation immediately after the plate-squeezingportion 3 is cooled by the laminar air follow, which is the low speedsecondary cooling air b, and then, the low temperature plated layer L1,which is relatively difficult to generate the thickness deviation, iscooled by the laminar air follow, which is a high speed main cooling aira to thereby effectively cool the plated layer L1 with being preventedfrom thickness deviation.

FIG. 7 to FIG. 12 show another embodiment of the apparatus for plating awire material according to the present invention, whose configurationsare basically similar to those of FIG. 1 described above. Consequently,common portions are assigned to the same numbers or symbols, descriptionthereof are omitted, and only configurations will be described.

The air cooling portion 4 is formed by assembling the air compressorportion 5, the lower cooling portion 6, and the upper cooling portion 7with each other, the wire-passing portion 5 c of the air compressorportion 5 is formed into a long hole so that a plurality of wirematerials in a parallel form can be simultaneously passed. Also, thewire material inserting portion 6 e on front wall portion 6 d of thelower cooling portion 6 and the wire material inserting portion 7 e onthe front wall portion 7 d of the upper cooling portion are omitted.

By such a configuration, two laminar air flows each having differentspeeds, i.e., a high speed and a low speed, specifically, the maincooling air a and the secondary cooling air b are generated in one aircooling device 4, whereby the high temperature plated layer, easilygenerating thickness deviation immediately after the plate-squeezingportion 3 is cooled by the laminar air follow, which is the low speedsecondary cooling air b, and then, the low temperature plated layer L1,which is relatively difficult to generate the thickness deviation, iscooled by the laminar air follow, which is a high speed main cooling aira to thereby effectively cool the plated layer L1 with being preventedfrom thickness deviation.

FIG. 13 to FIG. 16 show still another embodiment of the apparatus forplating a wire material according to the present invention, whoseconfigurations are basically similar to those of FIG. 7 described above.Consequently, common portions are assigned to the same numbers orsymbols, description thereof are omitted, and only configurations willbe described.

The air cooling device 4 is formed so that one wire material L can beair-cooled, the plate 6 b for preventing turbulence flow, whichsuppresses the turbulence of the secondary cooling air b provided withina body of the lower cooling portion 6 having a substantially circularcross section in three ways in substantially the same angle along thepassing orbit direction of the wire material L1, and the laminar airflow spaces 6 c of secondary cooling air b is formed. Similarly, theplate 7 b for preventing turbulence flow, which suppresses theturbulence of the main cooling air a provided within a body of the uppercooling portion 7 having a substantially circular cross section in threeways in substantially the same angle along the passing orbit directionof the wire material L1, and the laminar air flow spaces 7 c of thecooling air is formed. The plate 6 b for preventing turbulence flow ofthe lower cooling portion 6 and the plate 7 b for preventing turbulenceflow of the upper cooling portion 7 are formed to be vertically accordedwith each other, whereby they are linearly continued from the lowerlaminar air flow space 6 c to the upper laminar air flow space 7 c viathe wire-passing portion 5 c.

The embodiments described above are illustrative and the presentinvention should not be restricted thereto. For example, the positionalrelationship amongst the wire materials L, the air injection hole 5 aand the plates 6 b and 7 b for preventing turbulence in the aircompressor portion 5, the lower cooling portion 6, and the upper coolingportion 7, and the configurations of the laminar air flow spaces 6 c and7 b may be formed as shown in FIG. 17 to FIG. 19. The configurations arevoluntary without departing from the sprits and scope of the presentinvention. In FIG. 19, a plate 5 e for preventing turbulence is providedwithin the wire-passing portion 5 c of the air compressor portion 5, andthe plate 5 e for preventing turbulence is intervened between the plates6 b and 7 b for preventing turbulence, and these plates are verticallycontinuously accorded with each other, the secondary cooling air b beingsucked in the main cooling air is suppressed to become turbulence, flowsin the laminar air flow space 7 c of the upper cooling portion 7 in thestate of the laminar air flow as is and then is jointed to the maincooling air a. The water cooling device 8 is used in combination withthe air cooling device 4 for cooling, the present invention is notrestricted thereto. For example, the plated layer L1 is non-eutectic andwhose surface coarseness is required to be large, the water coolingdevice 8 is not used.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, in the apparatus for plating a wire materialaccording to the present invention, a plated layer where the temperatureis high and flowability is large, thus, easily generating thicknessdeviation in the wire material immediately after being passed throughthe plate-squeezing portion is allowed to cool by the secondary coolingair in the laminar air flow state at a low speed, and the plated layerwhere the temperature is low and the flowability, thus generatingthickness deviation only with difficulty, immediately after the coolingby the secondary cooling air is allowed to cool by the main cooling airby a main cooling air in the laminar air flow state at a high speed,whereby effective cooling with suppressing the thickness deviation canbe performed, and uniformly thick-plated wires having a small thicknessdeviation equal to or smaller than that of the conventional product andhaving good outward appearance can be produced on a large scale in astable manner.

1. An apparatus for plating a wire materials, comprising: an air coolingdevice provided over an upper portion of a plate-squeezing portion on aplating bath surface so that the wire materials are disposed verticallywith respect to the plating bath via the plate-squeezing portion, saidair cooling device comprising an air compressor portion, a lower coolingportion below the air compressor portion, and an upper cooling portionabove the air compressor portion, wherein the wire materials passingthrough the air cooling device are air-cooled in two stages by a maincooling air flowing from an air injection hole of said air compressorportion into the upper cooling portion then flowing out from the uppercooling portion from an exit at an upper end and by a secondary coolingair, being sucked into said main cooling air, flowing from an inlet ofthe lower cooling portion at the lower end thereof into the lowercooling portion and then being joined to the main cooling air; and aplurality of plates for preventing turbulence flow, which suppress theturbulence of the cooling air provided on opposite portions in thecross-machine direction each beside a portion along a route throughwhich each of the wire materials passes arranged in one column in themachine direction to form a plurality of laminar air flow spaces of thecooling air separated by the plurality of plates for preventingturbulence flow in the machine direction and cross-machine direction,and wherein the air injection hole of the air compressor portion iscommunicated with each laminar air flow space, whereby the wirematerials can be simultaneously allowed to cool within the laminar airflow spaces.
 2. An apparatus for plating wire materials, comprising: anair cooling device provided over an upper portion of a plate-squeezingportion on a plating bath surface so that the wire materials aredisposed vertically with respect to the plating bath via theplate-squeezing portion, said air cooling device comprising an aircompressor portion, a lower cooling portion below the air compressorportion, and an upper cooling portion above the air compressor portion,wherein the wire materials passing through the air cooling device areair-cooled in two stages by a main cooling air flowing from an airinjection hole of said air compressor portion into the upper coolingportion then flowing out from the upper cooling portion from an exit atan upper end and by a secondary cooling air, being sucked into said maincooling air, flowing from an inlet of the lower cooling portion at thelower end thereof into the lower cooling portion and then being joinedto the main cooling air, wherein the wire materials, arranged on onecolumn between forked cross-machine edge portions of said air compressorportion simultaneously form depth-needling shaped wire-passing portions,are simultaneously detachable, which comprises a plurality of plates forpreventing turbulence flow, which suppress the turbulence of the coolingair provided on opposite portions in the cross-machine direction eachbeside a portion along a route through which each of the wire materialspasses arranged in one colunm in the machine direction to form aplurality of laminar air flow spaces of the cooling air separated by theplurality of plates for preventing turbulence flow in the machinedirection and cross-machine direction, and a wire material insertingportion having a width wider than the diameter of the wire materialsprovided between the plates for preventing turbulence flow placed in theopposite cross-machine direction and on front wall portions of the upperand the lower cooling portion in vertically accorded with the wirematerial inserting portion, and a pair of the air injection holes onboth edges of said forked portions of said air compressor portion arewith each laminar air flow space, whereby the wire materials can besimultaneously allowed to cool within the laminar air flow spaces.